Sangria, Salsa and a New England Clam Boil

Posted: 9:51 am, June 25, 2012 by Lin

Growing up in southeastern Mass and about 15 minutes from the beach, fresh seafood is something I take for granted because of its wide-spread availability. Family meals in the summer meant clam chowder at Bayside (at Horseneck Beach), clam cakes from Flo’s Clamshack (Newport and Middletown) and lobster at Lepage’s in Fall River. For larger family get-togethers, a clam boil was a summer staple. When my mom said she wanted to do a clam boil to celebrate our June birthdays, I was more than excited.

Stuffed Quahogs

Always a family that enjoys eating, my mom said she’d be making a watermelon salsa as an appetizer. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to try Eppa Red Sangria. Neither Jon nor I are huge sangria fans. I prefer a crisp white wine in the summertime, and too often find bottled sangria either too sweet, or too juicy (as in it doesn’t even taste like wine). Both of us (as well as my mom) were pleasantly surprised by what Eppa had in store; crisp yet light and on the dry side, with notes of pomegranate and berry. A Cabernet-Syrah blend is the base for this sangria, which consists of organic fruit including pomegranate, blueberry, Mediterranean blood orange and acai.

Turns out the sangria paired really well with my mom’s salsa. Even though it wasn’t overly sweet, the fruit notes were a nice contrast to the cool, herbal flavors of the salsa. Both are great to bring to a party. Check the Eppa website for a retail location near you, and scroll down for the recipe for this crowd-pleasing salsa.

Watermelon Salsa

2 cups watermelon, finely chopped
1 cup peeled cucumber, finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
2 tbs fresh basil, minced
2 tbs fresh mint, minced
3 tbs honey
2 tsp lime juice
Tortilla chips for serving

Mix all ingredients (except the chips, obviously) together, toss gently and refrigerate for at least one hour.

New England Clam Boil

I cannot pretend to know how to prepare or cook a clam boil. I know it involved 14 pounds of clams, hotdogs (my favorite part!), sausage, linguica, onions and potatoes, and a VERY large pot to cook everything. Oh, and of course, about 2 pounds of butter for dipping!